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Assad cover art

Assad

By: Con Coughlin
Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
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Summary

In Assad: The Triumph of Tyranny, Con Coughlin, veteran commentator on war in the Middle East and author of Saddam: The Secret Life, examines how a mild-mannered ophthalmic surgeon has transformed himself into the tyrannical ruler of a once flourishing country.

Until the Arab Spring of 2011, the world’s view of Bashar al-Assad was largely benign. He and his wife, a former British banker, were viewed as philanthropic individuals doing their best to keep their country at peace. So much so that a profile of Mrs Assad in American Vogue was headlined ‘The Rose in the Desert’. Shortly after it appeared, Syria descended into the horrific civil war that has seen its cities reduced to rubble and thousands murdered and displaced, a civil war that is still raging over a decade later.

In this vivid and authoritative account Con Coughlin draws together all the strands of Assad's remarkable story, revealing precisely how a young doctor ensured not only that he inherited the presidency from his father, but has held on to power by whatever means necessary, continuing to preside over one of the most brutal regimes of modern times.
©2023 Con Coughlin (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
Politicians Presidents & Heads of State Middle East
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Critic reviews

An important, compelling, and detailed examination of the failure of Western powers to act decisively in the early years of the Syrian Civil War and to prevent one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the early twenty-first century. In this significant new book, Con Coughlin provides a superb analysis of the West’s policy missteps and the tragic consequences of them. (General David Petraeus)
Fascinating, timely and sharp, Con Coughlin delivers a lucid portrait of the brutal power games and byzantine conspiracies of Syria's Assad dynasty. (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: a Family History)
Con Coughlin's Assad curdles the blood from beginning to end and is always underpinned by superb foundations in analysis. A must-read for everyone who wants to understand the Middle East today. (Robert Service)

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Profile Image for Lady Essex

Superb biography! Captivating from the start.

Have really enjoyed and learnt so much from listening to this audiobook. Was worried that I’d disengage, but have instead been ‘forced’ to binge listen, such was my level of interest.
Also, have nothing but praise for the narration. Clear, and concise. Thank you Charles Armstrong.

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